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By the wonderful providence of our heavenly Father BETV, the satellite ministry of Bible Explorations, is now broadcasting in Australia and New Zealand.  In those countries you will find the channel at frequency 12706.5 V SR 22.500 on Optus D2 free to air 152 east system DVB-S, Ku-band FEC 3/4 Transponder 8L. This is the same frequency as the Hope Channel.

What is the significance? Because the Spirit of Christ was present at the recent Spring Retreat in Terra Bella, California, where Elder John VanDenburgh invited two people to share their understanding of God, you will soon see the message that honours the Father and Son proclaimed in all places Bible Explorations reaches. Presentations from familiar ministries like Revelation1412.org, TalkingRockSabbathChapel (TRSC) and MaranthaMedia will be included in their 24/7 internet streaming and satellite programming. They have also linked to Living On Pulse, In the Heavens and others on their website. In good faith TRSC has also begun adding Bible Explorations programming to their 24/7 streaming internet channel and view on demand video pages. Elder VanDenburgh has also been asked to share the Sabbath morning message at the “Faces Lighted Up” camp meeting at Amicalola Falls in June. Our Father in heaven opened these doors and we are praising Him for these opportunities to honour Him.

The purpose of the ministry at Bible Explorations is to “Explore…the gospel as outlined in the Bible and then to teach others how to share that gospel” as well as “search the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy for insights and truths that will be especially known and understood by the final generation.” Since 2011 the ministry has been blessed to air on satellite in North America, Mexico, some of the Pacific islands and a small portion of South America. In February 2013 enough funds were raised to begin broadcasting to a large portion of Africa. The ministry then set their sights on reaching Australia/New Zealand and funds began to come in. As the Spirit of Christ filled the camp during the April 2013 Passover/Unleavened Bread celebration hearts were turned to our Father and before the meetings were over Elder VanDenburgh announced that they had reached their goal. Tears of joys streamed down many faces as cries of praise rang through the sanctuary. A new goal has been set to reach the Philippines with the message and from there only our Father knows because it is He who will impress hearts and open the way.

Please keep Bible Explorations and all ministries sharing the Father and Son and Present Truth in your prayers.

Follow the story of this outpouring of showers of blessing below.

Nader Mansour to Present Father and Son Truth via Satellite

Terra Bella Meeting Schedule and Prayer Request

Bible Explorations Presentations on the Godhead

Terra Bella Testimony

May 2013 TRSC Newletter

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The May 2013 issue of the Talking Rock Sabbath Chapel newsletter is hot off the presses. We've included lots of pictures from Terra Bella along with a couple of testimonies. The Amicalola Falls camp meeting speaker schedule is also inside along with some other goodies.

CLICK HERE to read the complete issue.

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Our Father worked in a mighty way at the recent Bible Explorations Spring Retreat where Elder John VanDenburgh invited two speakers to present their understanding of God. The trinity/triune god was proclaimed by sister Cheryl Rilea and brother Nader Mansour shared the literal Father and Son. After 6 sessions over three days Cheryl and Nader had an opportunity to clarify their understanding in a Q. and A. session. They were joined by SDA Pastor Randy Brehms, and brother Gary Hullquist. Brother Nader's Terra Bella Testimony is a testament to our Father's providence and guidance by His Spirit in these meetings.

For those of you who were unable to attend, or view the presentations live on the internet, and BETV we wanted you to have the opportunity to see them in the order they were presented. Thoughts, comments and questions are welcome and appreciated.

For many who were there at the meetings this was the first time they had an opportunity to hear both sides. Please keep those who will see these presentations in your prayers as they study for themselves to discover what is truth. We thank you in advance for being kind, considerate and Christlike in your words towards the presenters and those who may see things differently than you. Remember those of us on both sides of the issue in prayer. We are precious children of our heavenly Father and He thinks the world of us, so much so that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us.

#1 Cheryl Rilea - Why I Believe in the Triune God

#2 Nader Mansour - The Godhead Truth

#3 Nader Mansour - His Teaching in Our Past History

#4 Cheryl Rilea - Scriptural Objections

#5 Cheryl Rilea - Spirit of Prophecy Objections/History and the Pioneers/Summary and Conclusions

#6 Nader Mansour - The Biblical 9/11

#7 Questions and Answers

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Dean Gotcher is the Founder and Director of the Institution For Authority Research. He coined the term "diaprax" (merging dialectic and praxis). He works to counter the subversive effort at work to destroy Godly authority and believes the word of God has much to say regarding the subject of authority and educating our children.

This series helped me further understand the Identity Wars issue and how the serpent's lie in the garden is being perpetuated today in our families, schools, and churches. Parts 1 and 3 were especially eye opening. May prayer is that this series will help us recognize when we are participating in Satan's kingdom and learn how to build a true foundation on the Word of our Father.

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Back in February we were blessed to announce that Brother Nader Mansour had been invited to present the Father and Son in Terra Bella, California at the Bible Explorations Passover/Unleavened Bread spring retreat. Thousands of materials have been printed and duplicated to have on hand at the camp meeting. As the appointed time of April 25-May 2 is almost upon us I wanted to ask my brothers and sisters around the world to make these meetings a special matter of prayer.

As was mentioned in the original press release, this is a unique opportunity as the messages will be streamed live on the internet and beamed via satellite across North America, Mexico, parts of South America, and a large portion of Africa.

Both sides of the Godhead issue will be looked at from Scripture, the writings of Sister White, and church history. Sister Cheryl Rilea, a layperson from Florida, will present her understanding of the triune god.

Cheryl and Nader will each have three presentations beginning Sunday, April 28. On Wednesday, May 1 there will be a roundtable discussion lead by Elder John VanDenburgh. CLICK HERE for the schedule. You can view the meetings live right on your computer by going to the Bible Explorations website. Note that the meetings are Pacific Standard Time.

Elder VanDenburgh shares words of wisdom in the April ministry newsletter.

A study of the Godhead must be approached with a very sacred sense of awe. “Amens” are encouraged by most preachers, but in the presentations of the Godhead a holy attitude of sincerity and respect for both speakers of the two positions is expected. It can be a beautiful time of learning, and sharing, or a time of fussing, cynical expressions, and attitudes of “I’m Right and you’re wrong so I’ll cheer on my champion.” Obviously Satan will prefer the latter.

Bible Explorations is a place of peace and security for those who have a decided respect for their brothers and sisters, and a deeper sense of respect for their Creator.

If I were a non-Trinitarian I would listen very intently to every word the Trinitarian speaker has to say and would not appreciate distracting comments or emphatic “Amens” or such by non-Trinitarians around me.

If I were a Trinitarian I would listen to very intently to every word the non-Trinitarian speaker has to say and would not appreciate distracting comments or emphatic “Amens” or such by Trinitarians around me. We must all be sensitive to the feelings of others when discussing sensitive issues. Otherwise honest learning is inhibited.

In these particular six lectures, silence is golden. Let those who have spent months and even years on the subject have their turn without audience influence. The audience will have opportunity to speak and ask questions openly at the lecture entitled “Round Table Discussion.”

Even that must be done with dignity.

We have always had honest folk of both persuasions attend and support the heavenly ordained feasts here in Terra Bella. I have purposely asked that our speakers not be offensive to either side.

In your prayer time please thank our Father in heaven for this opportunity to honour Him. Pray that the Spirit of Christ is present in the meetings and hearts of those in attendance. Pray that the Spirit is allowed to do its work of convicting, and that everyone is given respect and an opportunity to study this important topic for themselves. Thank you.

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Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, December 31, 1908

Christ is represented as dwelling by His Spirit in His people; and believers as "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone, in whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord," Paul says, "beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

From eternal ages it was God's purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator. Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a temple for God. Darkened and defiled by evil, the heart of man no longer revealed the glory of the divine One. But by the incarnation of the Son of God, the purpose of heaven is fulfilled. God dwells in humanity, and through saving grace the heart of man becomes again His temple.

God designed that the temple at Jerusalem should be a continual witness to the high destiny open to every soul. But the Jews had not understood the significance of the building they regarded with so much pride. They did not yield themselves as temples for the divine Spirit. The courts of the temple at Jerusalem, filled with the tumult of unholy traffic, represented all too truly the temple of the heart, defiled by the presence of sensual passion and unholy thoughts. In cleansing the temple from the world's buyers and sellers, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from the defilement of sin,--from the earthly desires, the selfish lusts, the evil habits that corrupt the soul. "The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts. But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver."

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." No man can of himself cast out the evil throng that have taken possession of the heart. Only Christ can cleanse the soul-temple. But He will not force an entrance. He comes not into the heart as to the temple of old; but He says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him." He will come, not for one day merely; for He says, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and . . . they shall be My people." "He will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." His presence will cleanse and sanctify the soul, so that it may be a holy temple unto the Lord, and "an habitation of God through the Spirit."

By this beautiful and impressive figure, God's Word shows the regard He places in our physical organism, and the responsibility resting upon us to preserve it in the best condition. Our bodies are Christ's purchased possession, and we are not at liberty to do with them as we please. Man has done this. He has treated his body as if its laws had no penalty. Through perverted appetite its organs and powers have become enfeebled, diseased, crippled. And these results which Satan has brought about by his own specious temptations, he uses to taunt God with. He presents before God the human body that Christ has purchased as His property; and what an unsightly representation of his Maker man is! Because man has sinned against his body, and corrupted his ways, God is dishonored.

When men and women are truly converted, they will conscientiously regard the laws of life that God has established in their being, thus seeking to avoid physical, mental, and moral feebleness. Obedience to these laws must be made a matter of personal duty. We ourselves must suffer the ills of violated law. We must answer to God for our habits and practises. Therefore the questions for us is not, "What will the world say?" but, "How shall I, claiming to be a Christian, treat the habitation God has given me? Shall I work for my highest temporal and spiritual good by keeping my body as a temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, or shall I sacrifice myself to the world's ideas and practises?"

"Know ye not . . . that ye are not your own? for ye are bought with a price." What a price has been paid for us! Behold the cross and the victim uplifted upon it. Look at those hands, pierced with cruel nails. Look at His feet, fastened with spikes to the tree. Christ bore our sins in His own body. That suffering, that agony, is the price of your redemption. Know you not that He loved us, and gave Himself for us, that we in return should give ourselves to Him? Why should not love to Christ be expressed by all who received Him by faith, as verily as His love has been expressed for us for whom He died?

"Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." "There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Christ the Word, the revelation of God, -- the manifestation of His character, His law, His love, His life, -- is the only foundation upon which we can build a character that will endure.

 We build on Christ by obeying His word. It is not he who merely enjoys righteousness, that is righteous, but he who does righteousness. Holiness is not rapture; it is the result of surrendering all to God; it is doing the will of our Heavenly Father. Religion consists in doing the words of Christ; not doing to earn God's favor, but because, all undeserving, we have received the gift of His love. Christ places the salvation of man, not upon profession merely, but upon faith that is made manifest in works of righteousness. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Not those whose hearts are touched by the Spirit, not those who now and then yield to its power, but they that are led by the Spirit, are the sons of God.

To live by the word of God means the surrender to Him of the whole life. There will be felt a continual sense of need and dependence, a drawing out of the heart after God. Prayer is a necessity; for it is the life of the soul. Family prayer, public prayer, have their place; but it is secret communion with God that sustains the soul-life. It was in the mount with God that Moses beheld the pattern of that wonderful building that was to be the abiding-place of God's glory. It is in the mount with God,--in the secret place of communion,--that we are to contemplate His glorious ideal for humanity. Thus we shall be able so to fashion our character building that to us may be fulfilled His promise. "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

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Recently brother Adrian Ebens discovered this video by Sean Finnegan. What makes this presentation unique is that Sean approaches the subject of the trinity with the assumption that it's true to see from an internal perspective what problems there might be. While we do not endorse everything he teaches we were encouraged to know there are others out there sharing the truth about God.

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All through the ages, Satan has tried to shake people's confidence in God's character. One thoughtful writer has said, "The world is dark with misapprehension of God." Such false conceptions of Him are at the root of pagan or heathen religions, and multitudes of professed Christians are suffering various kinds of depression for the same reason. For example, think about the doctrine of God torturing lost people in painful fire for all eternity; that paints Him in darker colors than even Hitler or Stalin.

But even those who seek to live close to God may be tempted to wonder if He is the kind, loving, just Heavenly Father that they want to believe in. Why does He permit injustice? When they pray to Him, begging for a piece of bread, does He give them a stone? Satan is so cruel that he would like to make you think that that is God's character!

The answer to that terrible temptation is Jesus. When He became our "second Adam," entering the stream of our humanity to become "Immanuel, that is, God with us," He suffered being tempted "in all points like as we are" (Heb. 4:15). On His cross He cried out, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

The Bible is full of examples of people who were tempted to think He gave them a stone instead of bread: Job, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph sold by his brothers as a slave, David fleeing from the king of Israel, Saul "the anointed of the Lord," Jeremiah in his dungeon and his mud-hole, John the Baptist dying alone in a dungeon, Paul sick unto death, etc.

Let us build our faith not on transient feelings, but on the solid rock of Bible truth. Our heavenly Father is true and faithful!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 6, 2013.

Copyright © 2013 by "Dial Daily Bread."

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The Bible itself is a better source of information about Moses than any movie, and more interesting, too. If the Bible is read with unbelief, it becomes boring, because doubt short-circuits practically every statement and paralyzes the understanding. But if it is read with heart-felt belief, it grips the attention. The Holy Spirit re-creates the happenings described there and you see it all in three-dimensional realism, a vividness that can never be forgotten, as a movie can be.

The tenth plague, the slaying of the firstborn, was the final judgment on Pharoah and the unbelieving Egyptians. When the "destroying angel" passed through the land at midnight of Passover Eve, there were two classes of people in the land: those who believed the word of God, and those who did not believe. No one was in between.

Momentous was the issue of believing or disbelieving! So today, everything depends on believing or disbelieving the truth of God. Someone may say, No, everything depends on obeying or disobeying the word of God. But outward conformity to rules (based on fear) that camouflages an unreconciled heart is not true obedience. Both the Hebrew and Greek Bible words for "obey" convey the basic idea of bending the ear down low to listen carefully. Believing the truth produces obedience and disbelief produces disobedience. The Israelites were told to kill an innocent lamb "without blemish" and splash its blood on the door posts and the lintel. Their doing so was an evidence that they believed what God had said.

What saved them in the Passover was their faith which worked. God had said, "When He seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door and not suffer the destroyer to come in" (Ex. 12:23). Not when He sees the obedience, but "when He sees the blood," the obedience being the evidence of faith in the blood of the Lamb of God.

The world today is "Egypt," and again there will be re-enacted the events of the ancient Passover and the Exodus. Let's be ready.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 9, 1999.

Copyright © 2013 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Too Great a Sacrifice to Follow Jesus?

Have you ever heard of the curfew that went into effect at sundown? You'd better be home by that time; and you'd better stay indoors all night. Not going out, even for a moment. This is Passover Night. Egypt has been oppressing God's people and the night of deliverance has come. Only because of the tenth plague will the government of Egypt finally relent and permit Israel to leave. The Pharoah, probably Amenhotep II according to history, has defied God to the bitter end. Now an angel of death is going through the entire land, and the firstborn of every home, from the Crown Prince of Egypt, to the firstborn even of the cattle, shall die, EXCEPT ... :

For those who believe God's plan of salvation, they can take a young lamb "without blemish," kill it, and splash its blood all over the door posts and the lintel. And when the angel of death shall pass by, if he sees the blood, he will not enter that house.

But Pharoah in his hardhearted unbelief, sacrifices no lamb; and at midnight the angel visited his palace, and the Crown Prince of Egypt dies suddenly, mysteriously. (It's interesting that Egyptian secular history records that Amenhotep's successor on the throne was not the eldest son as would normally be the case, but another son).

But what about the Crown Prince of heaven? In the Father's great Plan of Salvation, He did die. The sacrificial Passover lamb typified Him and His death on the cross. His death made our life possible, so that the angel of Eternal Death could "pass over" us.

The meaning is so simple that even a child can grasp it: you live today because He died for you. If He had not died for you, you would be dead-- eternally. Whether or not you are a Christian, the truth remains solidly true: you are in debt infinitely and eternally to the One who died in your place.

Do you think it is too great a sacrifice to follow Jesus? Think about that Passover lamb.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 10, 1999.

Copyright © 2013 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Comment (3)

Jesus said, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7).

Sister Onchya Holt from Smyrna Gospel Ministries shares another simple science demontration using two paperback books to help illustrate abiding in a close and personal way to Jesus Christ.

CLICK HERE if the video screen is not visible.

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Other Demonstrations:

The Sinfulness of Sin

Balancing of the Clouds

A Special Friendship - Children's Science Demonstration

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